BJ Hooker's

About the Project

With a name like BJ Hooker’s, gaining interest among consumers walking down the aisle of the local spirits market is going to be unavoidable. BJ Hooker’s Vodka approached Hawkeye to make sure it was going to be the right kind of attention. Since the name had the possibility of taking on negative connotations, the visual language for the identity and package design had to be extremely measured.

Details

The strategy we focused on was delivering the identity in a way that was approachable and friendly, while embracing the tongue-in-cheek nature of the name itself. We had to remove the name from the context of risky and offensive to a little naughty and funny. This target audience was the younger vodka drinking crowd as opposed to the snobbish vodka connoisseur, so we felt the goal was attainable.

Conclusion

Imagery and graphic styles that people recognize as nostalgic and friendly enable the messaging and naming to be riskier without being offensive. Mimicking the style of 1930’s advertisements for speakeasy establishments was the perfect fit. Hawkeye customized actual vintage advertisement illustrations and typography to spin the messaging and content to spirited young vodka drinkers.

What resulted was a fun identity with an endless vocabulary that speaks directly to the crowd that would enjoy the tongue in cheek nature of both the name and the identity.